One of the oldest cliches in film criticism is the classic adage "You'll laugh, you'll cry." I'm pretty certain I've never used that expression in my career... until now, because there is truly no better way to describe the cancer comedy 50/50, based on small doses of the experiences of screenwriter Will Reiser, a TV writer and producer who was diagnosed with cancer when he was still in his 20s, and also happened to be good friends with Seth Rogen, who co-stars in the film as the lead character's best friend. What are the odds?
50/50's main character is named Adam, and he is played by the can-do-no-wrong Joseph Gordon-Levitt, certainly one of the most likable and most capable actors of any age working today. Adam is living a good life as a segment producer for a local NPR station, with a beautiful artist girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard) and his aforementioned buddy Kyle (Rogen). The diagnosis comes early in the film, and what we get is something you rarely see in disease-oriented films on the big screen—a young person with a chronic illness who goes through the traumatic experience of aggressive treatment. And it's a comedy, which is a brave and necessary approach that draws us in and makes us not just like, but love, these characters.
While Rogen takes the lion's share of the comedic relief, some of the best serious moments in 50/50 belong with Levitt meeting his rookie therapist Katie (Anna Kendrick, the Oscar-nominated actress from UP IN THE AIR). Adam hides behind humor and simply isn't comfortable opening up to even his closest friends and family about the deeply rooted fear he's feeling during this process. But when he's with Katie, he opens up while clearly falling for her at the same time, a dangerous prospect but one we tend to support because we want something good to happen to this guy. And Kendrick's insecurity about being able to handle patients that may die is palpable and honest.
Adam's tribulations range from his girlfriend not being able to handle being with a sick guy to the devastating impact of chemotherapy to his overbearing mother (Anjelica Houston, seeming to step right out of a Wes Anderson film) wanting to move in to care for her son. As much as I love the relationship developing between Adam and Katie, the film's heart—believe it or not—belongs to the men. The friendship between Adam and Kyle is so much fun to watch, and it changes and deepens as the film goes on. The many times I was tempted to cry the most involved what was going on between these two pals, and I think each audience member is going to respond to different scenes in different ways depending on their history with similar circumstances in their lives. The film doesn't manipulate (much) or tell you when to feel something deeply; it happens organically and beautifully.
Director Jonathan Levine (ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE, THE WACKNESS) has a perfect knack for refusing to leave a scene until we've learned something new about the characters in it. 50/50 doesn't work unless the character development is deep and fluid. In a strange and fun way, we're not sure that Adam is going to come out of this experience any more enriched as a human being; he seemed pretty great before cancer, so there's no need for a transformation. But that doesn't take away from any of the splendor of the movie, which feels authentic, heartfelt, and full of life. In the end, this is a story about friendship, and I consider 50/50 one of the most emotionally satisfying films of the year.
